322 MR. G, BLAINE ON THE ZEBRAS 



The herds of Sable at tliis period of the year, viz. September 

 to December, do not move about a great deal, and it was possible 

 to walk a long distance of 8 or 10 miles through the forest 

 without crossing a single fresh track, and yet within the circle so 

 described two or three lierds might be harbouring. As referred 

 to above, they confined themselves to certain sections of fcjrest 

 which could always be recognized b}^ the kind of trees of which it 

 was composed, and the art of finding the Sable was a question of 

 keeping within the limits of these trees. 



Unless distui'bed a herd remains in that section in which it hns 

 established its feeding and resting quarters. Grazing through 

 the early morning till about 9 a.m., it wanders ofi' to a denser 

 patch, whei'e it rests till about 3 p.m., the whole herd lying down 

 rather scattered and often without a sentry. 



No concise information relating to the breeding habits was ob- 

 tainable, but no small calves were noticed running in the herds, 

 and as the big bulls were all with the cows, it might be inferred 

 that the autumn is the rutting season. One afternoon I had a herd 

 under observation in some thick forest, and noticed the old bull 

 apparently taking stock of his cows. He rounded them up one 

 by one, driving each to the front, and then turned back to fetch 

 another. His methods were rather autocratic, for he i-an at the 

 cow and butted her behind with the front of his horns if she was 

 at all inclined to loiter. Having passed them all in review, he 

 followed sedately in rear of his protegees. 



The big bull is generally somewhere in the background, that is 

 to windward, and it is difficult to see him — black among black 

 shadows and the lattice of black tree-trunks. He spends a great 

 deal of his time lying down, but often a great pair of curving horns 

 rising directly above the undergrowth discloses his position. The 

 brilliant chestnut cows, on the other hand, easily catch the eye. 

 At intervals one or another, generally a young one, gets on its 

 legs and begins to graze, and then lies down again on the same 

 spot. At length all i-ise together as by a preconcerted signal, and 

 wander oft' slowly grazing. 



Their drinking habits were not noted, but as sufficient water 

 was always obtainable from pools in the stream-beds in the high 

 forest, it is probable that they drink regularly. They did not 

 appear to go down to the Luando to drink. 



The bulls have a habit of rubbing their great horns on the bark 

 of saplings and small trees, the branches of which they break oft". 

 This action imparts to the horns a red tan colour, very beautiful 

 in contrast with the velvety blackness of the skin. They also, 

 after soiling, invariably scratch with their hind feet, inore cants, 

 cutting long grooves in the earth. The rubbed bark, broken 

 branches, and sapling tops hanging head downwards from the 

 stem by a strip of bark, together with furrows scratched in the 

 soil, are a certain indication establishing the presence of Sable in 

 distinction from Roan Antelope. The latter occasionally go 

 through the same performance of scratching, but not so regularly 



